


Truths

by lightlysalted



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Like just kiss already, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Yearning, they're idiots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24991369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightlysalted/pseuds/lightlysalted
Summary: After the events of Book 4 and Kuvira, Republic City is left to rebuild itself. En, a dancer from the water tribe, arrives in the city to help with the misplaced spirits. Bolin, the legendary Earthbender runs into him by accident. With a cult on the rise, what will happen between these two?
Relationships: Bolin (Avatar)/Original Character(s), Bolin (Avatar)/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1 - Petals on Water

En's POV 

"We will be arriving at Republic City Station shortly, be ready to disembark, this is the end of the line." The announcer said.

The train rattled along, a solider marching o to it's resting place. The beige wood that made up the inside of the locomotive had a slight luster to it, as the city lights shined into the train. I looked out of the window, to see a city sprawling out around me. Even on this fast-moving train, I could make out signs, people, each with their own stories, waiting for a chance to get higher in the world. 

The world outside quickly changed to darkness as we entered the station. Getting up out of my blue leather seat, I made my way to the exit door, suitcase dragging behind me. The doors opened with a hiss as the train came to a halt. Just outside of the train, and into the station, was cacophony.

"Hey, watch it!" A voice said as I bumped into someone on my way out of the station. I looked around the station and observed four exits, each with the respective direction on it. My plans? I had none. Hailing from the Northern Water Tribe, I was always taught to adapt to change. I would need to use these lessons, I very quickly realized after leaving the station. 

Satomobiles. The streets were filled with mechanical devices, as they hustled and bustled around Republic City. 

"Well, here we go." I silently told myself, picking up my pace and deciding to head straight for the Spirit Wilds that called me here. I made my way into the tall, imposing buildings of the city, watching me like ancient monoliths. Everything about this city was, in a way, a miracle. After surviving so many disasters, I wondered why it hadn't descended into anarchy. Around me, the world seemed to change. One moment, I was in a concrete sidewalk, and the next, I was surrounded by vines. 

"The Spirit Wilds." I placed my suitcase next to me and decided to meditate. I sat down, feeling the cold vines against me. Gathering my thoughts, I focused on the spirits. 

"It was her."

"She used us."

"It was her."

"Who're you?" All eyes were on me now. I knew what to do. Standing up, I bent the water from my canteens out of them. I had practiced this dance many times before, I knew what to do. 

"I am En, I am here to help," I told them. Dancing with the water, I awaited the familiar blue glow that accompanied the spirit I summoned. The water began to take the shape of a mushroom. 

"How can you help us? You're a human," It said.

"I can talk with your kind," I responded. A slight wind blew through the grove of vines, rustling the foliage like a breath in the cold.

"You may be able to commune to with us, but you'll never help us, boy." The words stung like salt in the wound, the all too familiar feeling flooding me again. Just then, I heard a voice from behind me.

"Hey, Rantaro, whaddya make of this?" 

"I dunno. He looks like he doesn't know where he's going." I turned around, breaking the connection to the spirt and returning the water to my canteens. 

"Can I help you three?" I said to the three gangsters that now surrounded me. Based on the color of their uniforms, I could tell that they were a firebending triad. "Is it money you want? Because I am pretty broke."

"No money? He's in our territory, so it would be tragic if something accidentally happened to you." The man created a flame in his hand and began to raise it toward me. 

"Oh boy." I looked around me, hoping for something to maybe help me get out of this predicament. The three of them surrounded me, but I saw an exit. I began to run for the break-in their defense. Bending some water to form a whip, I aimed for one of their ankles and tripped him.

"Hey! He's getting away!" I heard them say as I made it out of the wild and into a small alleyway. I remembered how scrawny I was when I saw them catching up to me. I turned around and weighed my options. I could stay and fight, but then I'd probably lose. I could run, but you can't run forever. I began backing up, hoping to find some answer. 

"Get em'!" They all sent fireballs hurtling toward me. 

This was it. I was going to be killed here. They knew that Republic City coins don't burn, so they'll find them in my ashes. I began to feel their searing heat, waiting for the burning sensation.

"Hey! Are you okay?" A worried voice called to me. I was sitting on the floor, still alive somehow. 

"I guess?" I looked up to see who saved me. A young man, with a wide stature and muscular body, held his hand out to me. I took the calloused hand as he helped me up. Looking around me, I saw three walls made of rock erected around us in the once open square.

"We're not done with you!" The gangsters said again. 

"What did you do to them?" The man asked.

"I've got no idea." I said, prepping a water whip as one of them vaulted the walls. "We'll talk after this." 

"Sounds good to me!" He said with a bright smile and then turned his attention to the other two gangsters. He earthbended down the two other walls and stamped his foot to pull a boulder from the ground, and then launch it at one of them.

"Nice one!" I wrapped the whip around the gangster's leg and froze it. Bending more water from my canteens, I bent the water around him, making crude shackles of ice. The cold would prevent him from being able to firebend. Turning my attention toward the other one, my savior and I tag-teamed him. I tripped him, and the man sent a boulder into the gangster.

"I'll get my brother down here to clean this up. In the meantime, let me introduce myself. I'm Bolin!" He said with a smile that made me blush. 

"Oh, I'm En. The dancer."

"Wait, you're En!? The spirit dancer!? That's awesome!! I've always wanted to see one of your shows! Are you performing here?" Bolin said, acting like a child being told they would have extra dessert.

"No, actually. I'm here to look into the spirit wilds. The spirits are warning me of oncoming disaster," I said, avoiding the topic of dance. 

"Really? That's cool, but also bad, I suppose. You should come with me to Air Temple Island, I know some people that can help with the Spirit problem!" Bolin pointed in the direction of the island.

"Actually, that's a great idea!"

"You think so? I'll lead the way!" Bolin went red as a beet, began walking toward the ferry port. I hope that this will be the start of something great, better than where I was before.


	2. Chapter 2 - Republic City

Bolin's POV

Wow. I was really about to lead one of the coolest people in the world (objectively, considering I know Korra.) to Air Temple Island. I was beyond excited. I had only seen photos of him before, yet, he looks different. 

"So, you're really able to connect with spirits through dance?" I asked, the question hanging in the air for a second.

"Oh, yea. It's like spiritbending but on a bigger scale. You probably don't know what spiritbending is, considering you're an Earthbender." En responded.

"Oh, I know what spirit bending is. A couple of years ago, I had some close encounters. I know the avatar, so it gets pretty wild sometimes." I said, En's eyes lighting up with the mention of Korra.

"You know the avatar? That's so cool! Are you guys like family friends or something?" He looked at me, seeming a little comfortable in his own skin, as we walked down the paved street toward the port. 

"Well, not exactly, we by chance, I guess. Kinda like how we met, and ever since then my life changed for the better." I laughed to myself looking back at the times I've hung around Korra. We were approaching the port when a loud voice rose above the rest. 

"Join us! Join the Revolution Against Spirits!" A man wearing robes that were colored red and gold shouted. I made eye contact with En, who seemed interested in what the man was saying. 

"What's his problem?" En narrowed his eyes at the man.

"We should get going. Don't want to stick around him, right?" I said, awkwardly. We turned around and walked into the ferry building. 

"One ticket, Bolin?" Lao shouted to me from across the station. Lao worked at the station and knew me pretty well from passing through here a lot. 

"Not today, I'm bringing a friend to see Tenzin. We'll take two!" 

"Oh? Who's this?" Lao asked me. 

"I'm En." He said, reserved. I figured that the man protesting spirits had put him off. I was going to cheer him up. I felt bad for him, he just moved here and had a lot of pressure on him, it seemed.

"Hey, so, you ever been somewhere like Republic City before?" I asked him, hoping to maybe lift his spirits a little.

"Ba Sing Se, if that counts." He looked at the floor of the ferry, not really present. I wanted to engage him, but even though I was a fan of his, I didn't really know the first thing about the man in front of me. 

"That's really cool! My family lives there!" I smiled at him, hoping for the same response in return. I was met with a face that seemed to be on the edge of tears.

"I-I'm sorry," En spoke. Tears were streaming down his face. I didn't what I could have said that cause him to cry, but I felt about it. His day was already pretty bad. I had to make this up to him somehow. 

"Oh no, It's my bad, I shouldn't have pushed my limits with you. I'm so sorry! Here, let me." I reached across the small wooden table to wipe the tears from his face. His brown skin was soft. I wiped my finger to erase the tears that he shed. We rode the rest of the way to the island in solemn silence.

Air Temple Island was pretty in the fall, all of the trees turning rainbows of orange of yellow. Me and En left the boat with a veil of quiet around us. 

"Bolin! What brings you here?" Tenzin asked me. I looked up at him and began to point at En.

"Me. I am En, the Spirit Dancer. I've come to Republic City to help with the spirits. Bolin told me you're the best person to consult." En's demeanor changed, as he looked over at me with a smile. 

"Y-Yea! I thought that you the best person to come and talk to about spirit stuff. Is Korra here?" I began to twiddle my thumbs, blushing from confusion. 

"Oh, well, thank you for coming to me. We do protect the Spirit Wilds, so it was of you to bring him to me. And En, thank you for offering your services. I'm going to assume you don't have a place to stay, so you should stay here for the time being. We extra rooms. Korra is not here, she's with Asami." Tenzin said. He motioned for us to follow him, and so we did. The cobbled path felt hard against my shoes. I looked back up at En, who seemed to be sad again. 

"About the ship, I'm-" Before I could finish, he interrupted me.

"Don't be, Bolin. You didn't know. It's fine though, I am going to need to hang out with you later, considering you know your way around this place."

"How about we meet for dinner tonight!? I'll show you all the best spots!" I threw my hands behind my head and gave a smile.

"Sounds good to me!" En said, smiling. Tenzin led us into the house, and further into the spare room. 

"En, here is where we can have you stay, it's not much, but I'm sure you will like it." Tenzin let him in the small room. It was furnished with a bed, lamp, dresser and a closet. A medium-size window faced the city. As the afternoon sun lowered itself in the sky, lights were beginning to pop up and dot the skyline. Each point of light was warped in the salty waters of Republic City, a ray shining toward the future. 

"This is more than enough. I cannot thank you enough for this kindness." En's eyes seemed to tear up again, but he breathed and it went away, a fleeting feeling. 

"Hey, meet me at Republic Station, okay?" I said.

"Got it!" He gave me a thumbs-up as I turned around to leave his room. Happily, I began to walk back down to the docks, but, across from me in the square, was Opal. We made eye contact, as she began to glare at me. I gave a weak wave to my ex in return. We broke up about two weeks ago when she tried pressuring me into things that I didn't want to do, and not mention that she had a short fuse. It was a relationship that did not age like cheese. But, I wasn't going to let her ruin my night, so I kept my head high and walked to the ferry. Boy, was I excited for tonight.


	3. Chapter 3 - Currents of Air

En's POV

Oh my god. I broke. Again. And in front of him, too. I hadn't broken in a while but Bolin had to bring up family. Too bad mine abused me into the dancing business. He couldn't help it, he didn't know. At least we're going to hang out tonight, right? 

"So, you're able to talk with the spirits?" Tenzin said, surprising me. I could tell he was an Airbender based on how lightly he trod. 

"Yes, I am. It's a skill that I was born with because I was stillborn and ended up somehow alive." I looked at the older man in the doorway to my room. 

"That is a brilliant talent. Did your parents help you cultivate it?" He asked. Oh, shoot. Another question about family.

"N-No." I felt myself closing off from him, and the rest of the world. I had to fight past this. "They didn't. I ran away from home in order to cultivate the skill because I knew I could do much greater things with it than use it as a stage trick for dancing." 

"That is surprising to hear. I'd expect your parents to at least see the good in your talent. When Avatar Korra comes back to the island, I will be happy to introduce her to you. Though, she did say she'd be back tomorrow." 

"Of course! Thank you for letting me stay here." I smiled to him. A spark of hope erupted inside me after I realized that I had overcome part of my fears. I heard footsteps coming down the hall when a young girl popped her head in.

"Hey, you're the new guy, right?" She said, staring me up and down. 

"Uh, yeah, I guess?" I said, confused by her question. 

"Great! Tenzin asked me to show you around the island. I'm Opal, by the way." Opal said, pushing me out of the door. "Up first, and up here, these are the dormitories, or whatever you want to call them. That's where you're sleeping, obviously." We walked further down the wooden halls to stairs and headed outside from there. 

"This is the main square, you'll see a lot of people pass through here, some practicing Airbending and others just relaxing." She explained to me. I looked around the now empty cobbled square, taking in the antiquity of it all. All of the colors seemed to melt together perfectly. 

"Wow. It's amazing!!" I said, transfixed by the beauty of the island. Every single piece of this place seemed to be draped in old beauty, a whisper of the past eras echoing forward in time. Opal looked smug, as she probably wanted to get that response out of people. 

"Wait til you see the rest of the place. Who brought you to this place? It's not a normal destination." Opal asked me, giving me a friendly look.

"Well, I'm not exactly a normal person either!" I joked with her, and she responded with a little laughter. "But, I was brought here by someone. He saved me from getting burnt to a crisp by a Triad. Apperantly, he knows the Avatar, which is also cool." 

"I also happen to know that Avatar, does that make me cool? I'm joking, I know that I'm already cool. What's the name of the person that brought you here? I might know him. You learn a lot from being here." She said, while we walked to a part of the island that was pretty Rocky. There was an odd wooden structure, one that I assumed was for training the Airbenders. It was a bunch of wooden planks that were placed on top of rotating parts, and intricate swirls were drawn on it. 

"Oh, his name is Bolin. He's super nice, and he's going to show me around the city later tonight!" I said, smiling at her. However, her response wasn't a smile. It was, for a lack of better words, the place in-between a grimace and a glare.

"Bolin, you said?" She responded, slightly judgementally. 

"Y-Yea, that's his name. Kind of tall, muscular, green eyes, black hair?" I gave her a shrug.

"Oh. Yeah, he's my ex. He broke up with me on the weirdest grounds. He didn't think that he was good enough for me. The thing with him tonight isn't a date, is it?" Opal looked me up and down, trying to read me like a book. Her scrutinizing glare scanned me up and down, a look that I was, sadly, very familiar with that look. As a dancer, I had been subjected to the judgemental gaze one too many times. 

"It's not. He's just a friend." I said, closing myself off. We continued the rest of the tour, her showing me the old island while the sun began to set, painting the sky with a thousand colors. Blue, red, orange, purple, all the shades came together in a cacophony of beauty and clouds. The smell of the sea ended up prevailing throughout the island, permeating the tiniest nooks and crannies. 

"What is this place?" I gasped, as we made it behind the most of the island, reaching a forest that was lush with beautiful verdant foliage and was filled with spirits. A bunny, with wings on its ears, flew out of the woods. 

"This is the forest. I don't think it has any official name, but it's pretty nice. I like just coming down here and meditating. I have a feeling that you'll like the parts of it that have spirits within." Opal showed me to the cobbled pathway that led into the ancient forest. On the way down, I felt the slightly fuzzy moss that decorated the walls of the pathway, taking in all of the sights and smells of the woods. It felt like the spirit world, teeming with life. I didn't expect to find a place like this within the big city, because it's not something that you usually see in a place that's filled with so many people. I was going to spend a lot of my time here, I could already tell. Looking at the shadows cast by the almost fully set sun, I could tell that it was time for me to head back into the main city. 

"I better get going, don't want to be late! Thank you for the tour!" I shouted back to Opal, as I ran up the stairs, trying to get to the ferry as fast as possible. 

"Have fun." She said, her voice lost in the wind.

I was running by the old buildings, watching them pass by me. I made it to the boat and boarded it, hoping to start this night of fun, as I hoped. I sat down on the boat, looking into the water, waiting for its wisdom. Was this night going to be fun? Was I going to a break again? I don't know, but whatever happens, at least I've made a friend in this cold world.


	4. Chapter 4 - Night in the City

Bolin's POV

"Hey, Bolin, where are you going?" My older brother, Mako, asked me, as I was getting ready to see En. The night had fallen, and hopefully, he had remembered to meet at the Spirit Wilds. I still felt really bad for making him cry. 

"You remember En, the Spirit Dancer, right? He's in Republic City, not for dancing though. He's here to help with the Spirit Wilds, that's actually where I met him! We're getting dinner together, and I'm gonna show him around tonight." I said, putting on my jacket. 

"That's cool. Make sure that you don't get caught up in anything. There's that cult that's emerging, they've gotten a little violent." Mako tightened his red scarf, the last thing from our parents.

"I won't!" I practically ran out the door, shutting it behind me. The hallway was passing me by, door after door of the same green shades. Stopping at the elevator, I thought to myself. Will he be okay? Did I ruin our friendship? I really hope I didn't. There was a ding, and elevator doors opened. I stepped in, readied myself to see him. Me and Mako's apartment weren't too far from our meeting plsce, so there was a good chance I would see him on my way there. 

"Hey, Bolin! Where you off to?" Someone shouted. 

"Meeting with a friend!" I yelled back, walking outside into the cool night air. I looked up into the dusk sky and saw the glimmering lights of downtown. "Here I go!" I made my way toward the Wilds, watching the world pass me by. It was decently cold, so my breath was visible. 

"Citizens of Republic City, Spirits are a menace! Join us, the Fire Assembly, in defeating them!" I overheard a man shout, from a podium. He was wearing a bright red changshan, and passing out flyers. 

"What's his problem?" I said to myself, not stopping. I rounded the corner and made it to where we met for the first time. 

"Hey, En!" I said, seeing him standing there. 

"Oh, hey, Bolin!" En said, smiling at me. He had one of those smiles that made your day. It was like looking into the sun, that's how nice it felt looking at him. I smiled back at him, hoping to return the same amount of positivity. 

"So, I was thinking that first, we'd stop by Han's Diner, it's a really cool place that has a lot of food! Then, I'm going to show you around the city!" I gave him a thumbs up. A cool breeze rustled the vines around us. 

"Wow, you've really planned this out! Lead the way!" En said, walking toward me. I blushed a little and turned around. 

"Let's go then!" I grabbed his hand and pulled him along with me in the direction of the Diner. Letting go of the hand, I asked him, "So, why aren't you dancing anymore?" 

"I-It's a long story. The gist of it is that I didn't want to dance. Well, I mean, I do, but I wasn't doing for myself. I wanted to dance for the Spirits, but my parents wanted me to perform. I hated performing. It didn't help that my parents tried to abuse me into performing too." En looked down.

I took a hint from that. "Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." The both of us looked away from each other. We kept walking in silence until we made it to the Diner.

The Diner's lights shined out with the rest of the city, a beacon of hope for those with empty stomachs. "I'll get the door!" I ran in front of En and opened the door for him.

"Oh, thanks, Bo! You don't mind if I call you that, right?" He gave me that smile again.

I sheepishly replied to him. "I-I don't mind!" 

Following the dark-haired boy into the Diner, my nose was assaulted by a barrage of different smells. That's the thing about diners. They don't serve just one food in particular. They serve all kinds of different foods. It's the perfect place to bring someone you just met because you don't know what kinds of food they like, and this place has a little bit of everything.

"Table for two?" A waiter asked us, with two menus in her hand. She led me and En to a booth.

"So this is a diner? I've never been to one." En said, looking over the menu items.

My jaw dropped in disbelief. "You what?! Never? Like, at all in your life?" 

En flinched back a little bit. "N-No? I've never been to one, like at all. Dancing made me lose out on a lot of my childhood. But I want to make different memories now." He said, confident as ever. 

"That's good to hear. This is Republic City, and with you hanging around me and the Avatar, you'll be making new memories in no time!" I said, winking to him at the end. En laughed at that. 

"You sound like a spokesperson for the city!" His laugh was really comforting to listen to.

"What! No, I don't!" We both laughed at his joke. The waitress came over and asked for orders.


	5. Chapter 5 - Han's Diner

En's POV

I looked up at the waiter, and back down to the menu, not knowing what to order. 

"Hey, I'll go before you, you don't seem like you know what to order," Bolin said, telling the waitress his order of noodle soup and a side of dumplings. I took this moment to look over my options on the menu and saw all of the mass amounts of possibilities. They didn't serve just one food here, instead they took a little from everywhere, basically stewing it all together.

The waitress looked at me, expecting to hear a response about what I was going to eat. I looked at Bolin, and then back to the waitress.

"I'll have what he's having. It sounds... good?" I said, not really knowing what was going on. 

"Oh, it's amazing! I usually always get something like this here!" Bolin smiled at me as the waitress left us with glasses of water. "So you're a Waterbender, right?"

"Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?" I traced the rim of the glass.

"I mean, I know the Avatar and all, but I've only really met and gotten close to a couple of them. Two of those were the children of the chief or something like that." He said, acting like that was an everyday occurrence.

"Wow, that's kinda cool. Their names were Desna and Eska, right?" 

"Yea, that's them. Eska tried to make me her bride."

"What? That's hilarious!" I laughed at that statement, the water in the glass shaking along with me.

"It's not that funny!" Bolin laughed with me, and I momentarily forgot that I had run away from home. 

Some of the water spilled out from the glass. "Ah, shoot. That's my bad." I said. My Waterbending came from my emotions, which meant that I lost control of it when I wasn't calm or prepared. This was one of those times, the water splashing out of the glass, just as my emotions could spill over as well.

"Don't worry about it, I'll clean it up!" The Earthbender reached for the napkins, but I had already bent it out of the tablecloth. 

"I'm a Waterbender, remember?" I put the water back into my glass, the condensation dripping down. "I have a question about the Avatar."

Bolin looked a little surprised. "You do? What is it?" 

"Does she know I'm coming? Tenzin told me that I'd be helping her learn more Waterbending, but I don't think she'll take me seriously." I slouched down a little, feeling a lot smaller than before.

"I don't know. I don't think so, he didn't exactly tell anybody that you were coming, and I can see why, you ran away from your parents and everything. And don't worry if she'll take you seriously. You seem like a really good Waterbender, so much so that you're doing it without thinking!" He gave me one of his trademark smiles.

"Thanks, Bo." I returned his smile with a less bright one.

"Two orders of noodles and dumplings?" A server asked, approaching our table. 

"That's us!" Bolin said, looking at the food eagerly. The second the waiter put the food on our table and left, he began to slurp the noodles.

"Ow! That's hot!" He dropped his chopsticks almost immediately after his tongue hit the boiling hot noodles.

"It's hot soup, what did you expect? Let me help." I held my hand over his soup and felt the steam from it billowing into the air. The familiar feeling of Waterbending returned to me, and I cooled Bolin's soup down. 

Bolin looked like he had just seen a ghost. "How did you do that?!"

"Waterbending!" I said, again, as he seemingly forgot that I had. "I used it to cool your food down. Waterbenders can bend ice and steam as well as water, so I apply it everywhere."

"That's so cool! How did you figure it out?"

"I-I mean it just kind of happened? I was trying to eat some soup and I cooled it off accidentally?" I stuttered, Bolin's positivity striking me by surprise.

He gave me that smile, a smile that I will never forget, again. "I guess people discover they can bend elements by accident all the time!"

"N-No, that's not what I- You know what? Sure." I gave up trying to explain to him how I discovered I could cool soup really fast. We both traded jokes and stories for a while, and life felt normal for me. It was the first time I had ever felt like this in a while, and I guess it was because of this guy in front of me. I never expected to somehow find peace in my life, but just like the ocean things can change almost instantaneously. I think that now, as I've moved somewhere new and I'm starting a new life for myself, I'll be happy. 

"Hey, you still there, En?" Bolin was waving his hand in front of my face. 

"What? Oh, sorry Bo. I zoned out for a second, you know?" I said.

"You looked like you were off in another world. A good one though, because you were smiling the entire time!"

"I-I was?" This statement made me blush. Just in time to save me, the waitress came by with the check. She placed it and told us that we can pay when we're ready.

"I'll get it!" We said in unison, our hands both touching the check and each other. 

"O-Oh, my bad!" We both pulled our hands away in unison again. 

"Bo, don't worry about the check. I'll get it."

"Nope! I brought you here, and I'm going to pay. End of story." He snatched up the check, and stood up. 

I sighed, and laughed a little. "I guess there's no arguing with you, is there?" 

"No way! I'm the host so I'm paying for dinner!" He smiled. 

"That will be 8 copper pieces." The cashier told us. Bolin produced the money and paid. 

"So, where to now?" I asked him.

"I was gonna show you around the city if you're up for that!" He pushed open the door for me.

I stepped outside, and took a moment to drink all of the sights, sounds, and smells of the city in. It was still busy, even this late at night, people were still working. It almost seemed like there were more people here than in the day time. "Where are we going first?" I said to Bolin.

He glanced at the sky, thinking for a moment. "Let's go to the Wharf! It's super pretty at night, and close to where the ferry is!"

"Lead the way!" I said, following after him.


	6. Chapter 6 - Ocean Tides

Bolin's POV

There we were, walking along the city streets. There was no one else in the world. It was just us two. 

"So this wharf. What makes it special?" En said as he balanced on a concrete road barrier. He walked along with it effortlessly. It was like he was dancing, so mesmerizing.

"It's a normal wharf. There's nothing really special about it, but it's pretty!" I smiled at him.

He stepped down from the barrier. "Really? Then let's go check it out!" En's normal walk seemed a lot like a dance. He always kept a certain posture to him. I keep finding myself staring at him, his movements drawing me in.

"Y-yeah, let's!" I followed behind him. My eyes began to wander around the man in front of me. He wore a coat over something, and I could only hope to see him take it off. Oh god, Bolin!? What are you thinking!? I just met this guy. Even though he's famous, he's still a person. He wouldn't want me looking at him like this. Wait, why am I looking at him like this? He's a guy. 

"Hey! Bo!? You there?" En had turned around to look me in the eye. It felt like he was right next to my face, even though he was at least three feet away from me. I had stopped in the middle of the road. God, what's up with me today?

I was blushing like crazy. "S-sorry! My bad! We're almost there, by the way." I pointed to the wharf. It looked like any other wharf you'd see. There were wood planks making up the bottom of it, longer posts supporting it. There was nobody else there. The water was like a mirror. It was glassy and reflected the lights shining into it. Each light quivered and shook. They were like En in a way, the way that they danced. I've never seen him dance. It's what I imagine he looks like when he dances. Am imagining him dancing? 

"Wow, it is really pretty here! Look at the moon! It's perfectly reflected on to the water!" En pointed out into the ocean. He was right, the moon did reflect perfectly in the water. It was beautiful. It was really as simple as that. Beautiful. I haven't really thought of anybody like that since I left Opal. 

As if on cue, En said, "Hey, I met an Airbender named Opal today."

"Oh, you met her? Let me guess, she still hates me," I said.

"No, she just said that you left her because you didn't think you were worthy." He responded. What the heck? I left her because she cheated on me. I knew she would lie about it to everyone else.

"That's not true!" I said.

En flinched back a little bit. "Whoa, Bo, what's up?"

"She lied. She cheated on me, and I broke up with her because of that! She lied to me, and to everyone." There were tears coming out of my eyes. En seemed hesitant, but he lightly placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay. You're not with her now, and that's what matters, right?" 

"I-I guess. But I never did seem like enough for her. She was a horrible girlfriend." To my surprise, En pulled me into a hug. 

"Bo, we literally just met today, but you remind me of myself. I know I'm probably gonna be here for a while. I'll be here for you, okay?" En released the hug and gave me an amazing smile.

It's official at this point. I have somehow caught feelings for this Waterbender, this amazing dancer, and this oddly powerful guy in front of me. I don't know why I like him, I just do. How am I gonna tell Mako? "Thank you. You're a great guy, En." I sat with my back against the cold steel bars. He sat next to me, and wiped my tears for me. His hands were soft.

"Hey, you might want to get down."

My trance was broken. "What?"

"Get down!" En pushed my head down, as a fireball was shot at us. He bent a wall of water over us.

"What's going on!?" I readied myself for bending. 

"Look! They're part of the Fire Assembly!" The men attacking us were wearing the uniforms that I'd seen the Fire Assembly wearing as well. "Let me handle this," En said, not letting me respond. Before I could say anything else he began to bend the water around us into a tunnel. The tunnel arched over all of our heads. I looked at En, and it looked like he was a different person. He seemed insanely focused on them, and bending all of this water at once. Our side's water began heading toward the Firebenders. With a single quick motion, En pushed all of the water onto them at once. It was an awesome display of his bending prowess as he began to move into a stance that looked similar to an Earthbenders. Once there he froze all of the water and with a signature Earthbender stomp, sent the massive ice cube hurtling into the water. 

"Did you just-"

"O-Oh, yeah, I learned that from an Earthbender. When you don't really have any Waterbenders to teach you things you have to rely on other bending methods." 

"That's really cool!" I was surprised by how ingenious his bending was, it really was different than anything I'd seen before, and I haven't even seen him dance yet. 

"Thanks, but we should probably get going. We don't want to have to deal with them anytime soon. Plus, we need to figure out why they were attacking us in the first place." We both got up and began walking toward the ferry station, and the time table said that the last one would be here soon. 

"They probably attacked you because of your spirit abilities, y'know?" I said to him.

"Definitely a possibility. They must have been tailing you and me for the entire night, I mean how else would they know it was me?" En buried his hands in his face as the ferry pulled in. "Just when I thought I wouldn't be followed here," He said.

"Hey, you'll be okay." I helped him up and we got on the ferry again.

"I guess. I hate that I can't seem to shake the past, though. It's whatever." The two of us sat in silence until the ferry reached the shore. 

"I'll probably see you tomorrow, right Bo?" 

"Yeah! I'll definitely see you then!"


	7. Chapter 7 - Dance of the Avatar

En's POV

"I'll keep you safe," Bolin whispered into my ear. His warmth surrounded me. I felt safe in his arms. 

The birds outside my window had other plans. Their incessant chirping forced me to get myself out of bed.

"Ugh..." I groaned, getting up. The sunlight shined in. I rubbed my eyes, and realized who I had been dreaming about. Bolin? No way. He's just a friend. A new, close, and undeniably attractive one, but only a friend. Whatever. Today was more important as I was going to start with the Avatar. I hoisted myself out of bed and begrudgingly got myself dressed.

"Good morning, En. I assume that you're ready to start?" Tenzin asked as I came downstairs. 

"Yes, where is the Avatar?" I smiled at him. 

"She's still asleep, but I'm sure she'll be ready soon. Have some breakfast in the meantime." He pointed to a table, filled with all sorts of Air Nomad delicacies. I'd never eaten this kind of cuisine before. It seemed all vegetarian but I guess that's expected from a group of people who have a bending style that's all based on retreating. 

"What's all this?" I said to Tenzin.

"This is an Air Nomad breakfast. We are strictly vegetarian but that doesn't stop us from making good food! We have some egg tart over there, curry here, some fruit pies, these are sweet buns, and steamed tofu. It's not like a Earth Kingdom meal it tastes great!" Tenzin gave me a tired smile. 

"Wow. This all seems really good! Thank you for your hospitality." I bowed to Tenzin and sat down at the table. All of the food tasted really good and went down surprisingly well. I a decent portion of the food presented to me and decided to go outside to wait for the Avatar. Her name was Korra, right? I'd never really heard about her or seen her and I think it's because my parents didn't want me seeing her freedom and getting any ideas. Same reason why I've never been allowed to go to Republic City. They were always afraid of me realizing my power, the sheer strength that I never learned how to control because they knew. They knew that the second I figured out I had all of this power I would escape from them, and they'd be out of their moneymaker to them. They didn't treat me like a person. They barely talked to me at all, and wouldn't even treat me like a son even on days when I did well preforming. I had to escape from them. Of course, they're still alive, but I don't think they'll ever find me here. I had to write to Tenzin about working with the Spirits and the Avatar in secret when nobody else was around. Being here, on this island, in Republic City was really a miracle. 

"Hey, who're you?" Someone said to me. I snapped out of my trance and turned around to see someone that looked like they were from the Water Tribe. She was walking hand in hand with a girl that had beautiful black hair.

"Me? I'm En, the Spirit Dancer. Do you know where Avatar Korra is?" I asked the two women.

"You're looking at her," Korra said. "What do you want from me?"

"Korra, there's no need to be harsh toward him. He might be a fan or something." The other girl said.

"I'm not a fan. Well I mean, I am a fan, but that's not why I'm here. Tenzin asked me to teach you about spirits and bending and stuff like that." I started to get a little flustered. 

"I don't need help. I thought I told Tenzin that I don't need any."

"Korra."

"Sorry Asami."

"Ah, I see that you've met En." Tenzin said as he emerged from the house.

"Tenzin, I thought I told you-"

"Korra!"

"Sorry! It's just that I feel like you're still treating me like I'm somehow not strong enough." Korra had a glare on her face. I completely understood the feeling.

"Korra, you may be a strong bender but you still have things to learn. When I saw En dance for the first time, I saw how he bent the water in his dancing. I saw beyond the dance and saw his skill. He's incredibly talented and he will be teaching you," Tenzin said.

"I'm an adult, I don't have to do what you say!"

"Korra, if you won't listen to him, take it from me. I love you, and I want the best for you. En can teach you. I've seen him dance before and Tenzin is right. His bending goes so much deeper than just a dance." Asami looked into Korra's eyes. 

"If you don't feel comfortable with me teaching you, I won't do it. But I do implore you to take a chance with me." 

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll try one time with you and if I don't learn anything, I won't do it. Let's go get started." The small group that had formed began walking over to an open space by the ocean. It was a warm day, perfect for learning Waterbending.

"Okay. Let's begin. I want you to come at me with everything you've got, only using Waterbending."

"You're not serious, right? You're wearing a heavy coat, and I'm the Avatar. Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Whatever you say." Korra readied herself into a fighting stance. It wasn't a special one. She began bending the water and formed a whip from it. It lashed out toward me but I was able to bend it away in time. Taking the water from the whip, I redirected it back at her. The whip came right for her ankle. She moved out of the way in time. 

"Nice job." I had other plans. I took the whip, and in a single motion, splashed it on the floor where she was. I froze where she was standing. Korra bent more water and threw it at me. In a movement similar to that of an Airbenders I took the water and bent it into a steam cloud. 

"What?" I heard Korra yell from inside the cloud. She couldn't see and the ground she was standing was slick as ice. I couldn't seer with my eyes, but I learned a trick from Earthbenders. You can use your element as an extension of your senses. Using that, I knew exactly where Korra was in the steam cloud. I felt another blob of water being hurled toward me and I redirected it with time to spare. The water made contact with Korra. I took the steam and bent it into water again, but this time I froze it. 

"Whoa. He's no joke," Asami said, watching from the side. 

"That's En?" A more familiar voice said. It was Bolin. Why was he here? Oh no. I took my mind off him and threw the ice at her. 

"Wow, you're pretty strong," Korra said. She blocked the ice. I thrown forwards by some water that she had bent from behind me. Recovering, I rounded off and landed behind the Avatar. I assumed an Earthbender's stance, took a chunk of ice, and hurled it at her. She blocked again and created a wave. The wave rushed at me. I felt it's movements, and wrenched away Korra's control of it and sent the wave back to her.

"Oh my!" Tenzin shouted as a decent part of the island was covered in water now. 

"I'm not done yet!" Korra began doing a Waterbending form. It was a barrage of water and ice being thrown at me. I knew what to do in order to end this. I took off my parka, revealing my much more active outfit beneath. It was a little revealing around the chest area but it was so much easier to dance in. I took some of the water that Korra had sent at me and began the dance. Feeling the energy flow from me to the water, I called on the spirit I needed. It was a guardian spirit, one whose roar was definitely something to fear. I gathered all of my energy and called the guardian spirit forth. Its face appeared and roared at Korra. The roar sent her backward. 

"I think we're done here for today." I picked up my coat and put it back on.


	8. Chapter 8: When The Earth's Reaching Out To The Ocean

Bolin's POV

"Whoa..." I was awestruck at the bending demonstration that I had witnessed. En's sheer strength through his ability to think outside the box took Korra down incredibly fast. The air was still a little wet from them bending around all of the water but it was quickly drying as the sun shone down. 

"En! That was amazing!" I ran up to him.

"You think?" He looked a little surprised I had something to him. Of course I thought that about him! It really was amazing, he had somehow done that and isn't out of breath. That wasn't an easy feat and he did in such style too.

"Yeah!" It looked like En was about to say something when Korra ran up.

"How did you do it?" Korra pulled En away from me. Oh well. I mean was going to ask him out, but that can wait. Asami noticed the drop in my mood, and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey, Bolin. What's up?" She motioned for me to walk with her. 

I waited til' him and Korra had walked away. "I caught feelings for En. I know, we're both guys and you're probably going to not like it," I said as we made our way through the island.

"Bolin, I'm dating a girl. I'm literally dating Korra." Asami gave me a look that said "You can't be this dumb."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that..." I sat down on an old wooden bench. Asami sat next to me and we looked out on the water. 

"You like him though?

"I do."

"That's normal. I mean, I see why you like him. He's good looking and is the kinda guy to treat people well," Asami said. 

"How did you come to terms with liking Korra?" I asked her. I needed to know how to come to terms with liking him. If I didn't who knows what that could do to me. It's happened before, I just don't want to get the wrong answer from him.

"It was a little of a shock at first, but at one point I just decided to accept it as it was."

"So it's normal to be afraid at first?" This was all so new to me. I'd never really liked a guy before so I don't really know what it's like. It's all new to me and really scary. I have no idea if En even likes guys, much less if he'd be into me. It felt like I was lost in the middle of the desert. I wanted to reach out to him but he was only a mirage of an oasis. How badly I wanted to be able to comfort him whenever he seemed sad. I know that I only met him yesterday, but my attraction was almost instantaneous. He drew me in and I fell for it. I wonder if he'll ever feel the same about me. Probably not. He said he met Opal so he might like her. What if he likes Opal? Oh, spirits that would be bad.

"I can tell when you're overthinking something Bolin. May I suggest that you don't? I get that it's hard to not do it especially considering how much your feelings are for him, but you've gotta try and just be neutral with him. You don't know who he likes so he may very well have feelings for you. You don't know if he does or doesn't and there's no use overthinking it. Now, come on, let's go find Mako. You have some stuff to tell your brother," Asami said.

"Wait, you're gonna make me tell Mako? But what if he doesn't think it's okay? What if he- Asami!" Before I could say anything else, Asami took me by the hand. She was really strong for someone her size, but nonetheless, she pulled me onto the ferry.

"When we see Mako, you're going to tell him who you like. I'm pretty sure he knows who En is. You got this." Asami smiled at me.

"What if he doesn't accept me? Why are you doing this?" I was a blushing and stuttering mess.

"Come on, Bolin. He's your brother." The two of us sat in a worried silence for the rest of the ferry ride. The water on the outside lapped on the sides of the boat. It created a small melody of noises. Little drips and drops. It was slightly calming but the fear of me having to tell my own brother was so much scarier. The ferry stopped and I and Asami made our way off. 

"Your brother should be at the apartment by now, right? He should be off work considering the time."

"Y-Yeah." I was still really, really, really nervous about telling Mako. I was even more nervous about telling En, eventually. Asami and I walked the same old streets of Republic City. It always feels differnt walking through them, even once you've done it a thousand times. This time it felt almost shameful. Guys usually don't date guys, and so it seems like it's something that other people would hate me for.

"We're here!" Asami said as we arrived at our apartment. By now it the fear had set in. I needed to do this. If I didn't there's no telling how long I would be stuck wallowing in my feelings. 

"Hey Bolin, and Asami? What are you two doing here?" Mako got up from reading something. I couldn't tell what it was that he was reading but that really didn't matter at this point in time. I had to tell him, I had to get it over with. 

"Bolin has something that he'd like to tell you." Here it comes. It's now or never. Even though I've fought many battles before, this is what really scares me. I don't like to talk about love because it's never ended well for me. 

"You know En, right?" I said.

"Yeah, the spirit dancer? You hung out with him last night, right?" Mako responded.

"I have feelings for him." I finally said.

"You do? He's a guy. You never struck me as the kind of person to like guys." Mako said.

"So does that mean you're okay with it?" Asami blurted out with a semi-glare on her face. It seemed like she was ready to defend me. 

"I mean of course! Bolin, you're my brother. You can't get rid of me that easily. I'm here for you." Mako hugged me. That went really well.

"Well, I have to get back to the island. I can't wait to see what him and Korra talked about." Asami left us in the room together. The window faced the ocean. The marine layer was coming in for the night. Right now it was just on the horizon, it loomed like a fog over everyone. 

"So, when are you gonna ask him out?" 

"Ask him out? I don't even know if he likes guys!" Mako and I laughed like we hadn't in a while. It felt okay for a second, but I knew, just like the fog was looming over the ocean, so was something over Republic City.


	9. Chapter 9: Light A Fire Up In The Night

En's POV

It had been about a month since I had arrived in Republic City. Getting used to living in such a big city was a little jarring at first, but like all things, it became commonplace for me. I've begun to feel better about myself, and have been helping out around the city. Spirits, before I came, were still acting up and intruding onto people's lives. Due to the spirit portal that had opened up everything was changing rapidly. Korra and I were able to help regulate them and I did end up meeting some new spirits along the way. The Fire Assembly hadn't done anything to interrupt us yet but we both had a suspicion that grew in us. 

"I can't believe it's been one month since you came here!" Bolin exclaimed as we walked down the streets. His face was smothered in a look of pure joy and he had a beautiful smile on. Over this month I kinda realized that I might have feelings for this lovable idiot. I don't think he'd ever like me, or if he's into guys but that's life.

"I can't either. It's helped me a lot," I said.

"You've helped it! Seriously, who else other than you and Korra could be able to basically use the Spirit World on itself! Where did you learn that?" Bolin said.

"I almost died at birth, hence why I can basically control spirits and stuff, Have I not told you that?" 

"You probably have, you're just so amazing I forgot!" He was really amped today. It was like someone had struck him with lightning. 

"Thanks." I really did appreciate him for being there for me. He was a really beautiful person. So was the rest of Team Avatar too. I and Bolin were on our way to dinner with Korra, Asami, and Mako. They told me to come but not why. I honestly don't know if this is just something they do, but it seemed fun.

"Tonight we're going to Kwong's Cusine! That's why you're all dressed up." 

"That's a fancy place, right? Oh boy..." It had been a while since I'd been to one of those places. I'd usually perform there and not be allowed to eat. They don't bring back pleasant memories but it's what memories I have.

"Hey, you're in a better place now," Bolin said as he usually did when I fell like that. "We're almost there. They went ahead of us and got a table. I'm sure you'll like it!" He seemed a little nervous, actually. It almost looked like he was hiding something. 

"We're here, right?" I said as we arrived to the restaurant. There were a lot of lights on it. It was beautiful. Bolin opened the door for me. 

I was greeted by a barrage of lights and sounds. However, they all were relatively calm and peaceful. It wasn't like the barrage of sounds that happens when you have danced for a crowd of people, it was really different for me. 

"Hey, earth to En!" Bolin was waving his hand in my face. I had zoned out.

"Sorry! I was taking it all in!" I said sheepishly. 

"Come on, they're over here!" Bolin took me by the hand and led me to a table. It was a circular booth. Korra, Asami, and Mako were sitting in it.

"Hey, En!" Korra said. "We're buying you a fancy dinner to celebrate you!" She smiled along with the rest of them. Bolin held out his hand to signing where I should sit and I slid into the booth.

"To celebrate me? What did I do?" I asked them.

"It's been a month since you've gotten here! We wanted to take you out." Asami said. She handed me a menu.

"You guys are really doing this for me?" You could have predicted what I thought. No one had ever done something like this. It was interesting.

"Of course we are! Now order anything you want on the menu, Asami's paying!" Korra said. 

"Hey!" Our group exchanged banter. We laughed and talked about the last month I was here for. It was surreal. About a month ago I was stuck in a bad place where my parents had me at their will. They hadn't found me here yet. If they ever did I don't know what I would do. That's not what I'm trying to think about. I just want to live a normal life but I have realized that it's not gonna happen. I'm not destined for that it seems. It was really nice watching all of my friends talk and have fun. 

"En, you've been quiet," Mako said to me.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just taking it all in."

"Take it all in with us!" Bolin said. He looked at me and that smile hit me. 

"Fine! Korra, have you told Asami about what we've been learning?" I said, using a mock teacher's voice. I wasn't watching them laugh anymore. I was laughing with them now. It was like a glass wall had shattered into a million pieces and I could freely be my self now. The waiters brought over some of the food that we had ordered. I felt a happiness that I haven't felt, well, at all. I was having fun. It was peaceful. I had my life in order. Now all I had to do was tell Bolin-

"En, look over there," Asami said, her face getting serious. She pointed toward the entrance where two Fire Assembly members were talking to the person at the entrance. "Do you think something bad could be happening?"

"Wait, I might be able to hear them." I put a finger in my glass of water and used my bending in it as an extension of my hearing.

"Where's the Avatar?" One of them said.

"Over by the booth." The other man said. I immediately got up.

"Korra, we need to go." 

"They want me." She stood up along with the rest of us.

"There's an exit through the back." Bolin, Mako, and Korra started fo the exit. The two Fire Assembly members were fast approaching. 

"Asami, let's deal with them." Me and Asami went up to them.

"Can we help you?" She said.

"Where's the Avatar?" One of them said. 

"We don't, sorry." One of the men looked like he was about to bend. "Asami!"

In a split second, she hit the man square in the chest. We both broke out running toward the exit. Fire whizzed past us, almost singing my eyebrows off. "Can you give us a cover?" Asami asked me. 

"On it." There was a huge pot of boiling water on a stove. We were in a kitchen. "Sorry about this!" I said to a cook. In a swift movement, I bent the water out of the pot and made it into steam. There was huge cloud that I could navigate through. I pulled Asami through with me. 

"Here's the door." Asami pushed open it, and on the other side, Korra, Mako, and Bolin were outside.

"You're safe!" Bolin ran up to me and hugged me. He let go, his face redder than ever. "S-Sorry..." He said.

Before I could respond to him, a car pulled up. Four Fire Assembly members spilled out of the car, but one looked distinctly different. 

"My name is Ryota. I am the leader of the Fire Assembly."


	10. Chapter 10: Trick Of The Eyes

Bolin's POV

The man stepped out of the Satomobile and looked us up and down after announcing his name. He gave us a sickly sweet smile.

"I assume that we have not just the Avatar, but also the Spirit Dancer here too?" Ryota said.

"What do you want?" Korra said. She took a battle-ready stance and we all followed suit.

"I'd like to talk with you about your involvement with the spirits." Ryota walked forward.

"Not another step." Mako and Korra said in unison. I looked over at En. He was concentrating on something. His eyes shifted from Ryota to the ground. I followed his eyes. There was a puddle on the ground that Ryota's geta was in. En was planning ahead.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Avatar Korra. I'd simply like to talk." Ryota's hands flexed.

"Don't." En was dead serious. There wasn't a hint of life or energy in his voice.

"The Spirit Dancer, you are?" He looked over En.

"Leave him alone!" I said getting ready to Earthbend.

"Quick to jump to conclusions, are we?" Ryota stared me in the eyes. They were hazel with a tinge of red in them. It was mesmerizing to look into it. It felt like he was towering over me and I couldn't do anything to help. "Now, where were we? Oh, that's right. If you don't cease your involvement with the spirits, we will use force to stop you. The Fire Assembly has gotten permission from the Republic City Officials to use lethal force, if necessary." 

"What? That can't be right. Where's the papers?" Asami said.

"Right here, Asami Sato." He produced them.

"It all checks out. That's weird." She said. "How did you get them to approve this?"

"We just told them how the spirits are the cause of all of the strife here." Ryota bent down to En's level. "You would know what they do, correct?"

"Back off!" Ryota fell backward but En hadn't pushed him. Ryota suddenly Firebent at him. I bent two walls of earth and threw one at the man. We were outnumbered by one. It was a six on five fight. Asami lept at one of the members and stroke him in the stomach. He fell down. I and En were both going after Ryota while Korra and Mako were focused on keeping the others away.

"There's no need for violence." He dodged our attempts to strike him. "As I said, I'd like to talk." Ryota bent fire, but only around him in a circle. The fire changed from the usual orange to green, then blue, and finally red. The pattern kept repeating. It was odd to look at. I wasn't right in front of him, but En was. He stopped bending his water and what Ryota was saying hit me.

"Turn against them. " En's eyes widened. He seemed to lose control of his own body and threw an icicle at Asami. She punched it and it broke into pieces.

"What's gotten into you En?" Mako was dealing with the oncoming assault from water and the other Firebenders all at once. We were near the ocean which gave En a huge advantage over us. I didn't know how we were going to snap him out of this. 

"They're getting away!" Korra said as more ice was flung at her. "What's up with him?" The fight had stopped being about the Fire Assembly and changed to dealing with En. He had turned against us, but his bending style changed dramatically. There was no longer grace or meaning to it. En's style seemed reckless now and there wasn't control to it. He wasn't himself at all.

"Don't hurt him!" I said to Korra and Mako, both of who were Firebending at him. He blocked it but I was still afraid for him. I didn't want to hurt him even though we had to somehow dismantle this. I bent a wall in front of me to use a shield as more water was sent my way. I bent a pillar below him to give us some space. "Sorry!" I said as he hit the ocean. 

"Nice," Mako said. The four of us ran to the railing separating us from the ocean. "Do you think he's knocked out?" 

Before anyone could answer Mako, En rose up out of the water as he bent a wave behind him.

"Watch out!" Korra tried to bend the wave around all of us but was only successful in bending around her before it swept us up. It was freezing cold and all around me. I couldn't breathe. En was powerful enough to bend an entire 10-foot wave at us after getting flung about 40 or so meters into the ocean like it was nothing. I was struggling to get out of the water and began tumbling over myself. I bent some handholds into the ground and hung on for dear life. The current was still going strong like him. I had to focus really hard on bending some earth that would block the flow of water. Finally getting to breathe again, I looked around for everyone else. Mako was trying to hit him with fire, but it seemed that Korra was planning something with Asami. Korra Earthbent a pillar as Asami jumped on it. She flew above En and prepared a strike in the back of his head. Everything slowed down for a moment. The look on En's face was a blank mix of fear and unknowing. Anyone could tell he didn't like what he was doing to us. Asami strike made contact and he fell onto the ground. I ran up to his body and held it. "Please be okay, please be okay..."

"Bo, he'll be fine. That wasn't him doing that to us. Ryota did something to him. You should bring him to the island." 

"I will." I scooped up his body in my arms and began walking with Korra and Asami to Air Temple Island. En was really cold. His small unconscious body was being warmed by mine. I felt responsible for him and I genuinely cared for him. It pained me to see him be taken advantage of again, it made it so much worse that En didn't even know what was coming. Ryota somehow hypnotized him into fighting for him. There's no telling just how bad and how much his powers can affect others into doing what he wants for the Fire Assembly. However, En's power was incredible. His power must've grown disproportionate in comparison with his control because I'd never seen anything like it. It was like something inside him came unstuck and he lashed out with pent up anger. 

"We're here." Korra and Asami seemed tired. So was I, yet I brought En to his room. I tucked him in, making sure he was warm. The seat in his room looked really appealing. I was just going to sit there and rest my eyes. I'd get up soon. His bed seemed so soft though. Maybe I should stay in his room, just to make sure he doesn't get hurt again. I don't want him waking up in the middle of the night scared. Scared and alone.


	11. Chapter 11 - Unconscious Thoughts

En's POV

"I assume you're ready to dance?" My father said. I was sitting on a box next to a stage. 

How did I get here? I ran away, right? That wasn't a daydream, right?

"Don't make me ask twice."

"Yes, sir." I wiped my face of all emotion. Bolin? Did I really just make up a person in my mind? I don't have time to think about daydreams right now. This is my reality. I just had to dance for this audience. 

"And now, the world-famous Spirit Dancer, En!" I plastered my show face on and stepped out. When you're on the stage all that surrounds you is eyes. They're all watching your every move. Dance for me became something I could do mindlessly. I felt mindless on the stage. There wasn't any emotion behind the dance. It was a repetition of movements that made a mockery of real life. It wasn't right. This life for me wasn't right. I shouldn't be doing this. I can change it, right? 

There was a glare from the light in my eyes. I couldn't see anyone. An ocean of nameless faces was in front of me. They didn't care about me. No one ever cares about me. 

The edge of the stage was fast approaching, but I didn't care at this point. I was going to fall whether I cared or not. 

Tumbling down into the people, I didn't hit the ground. I couldn't breathe. The unmistakable deep of the ocean was surrounding me. It was freezing, choking, salty, and lonely. I didn't want to breathe anymore. I just wanted to turn into the seafoam that danced so carelessly in sea. I wanted to sink in this silent darkness. 

No sound traveled down here. There's nothing down here. No light. No sound. No life. I was finally where I wanted to be. Floating in oblivion. 

"Take my hand." A voice said.

"I don't want to." 

"Take my hand." 

"Who are you?" 

"Take my hand." 

I took the hand through the window. The window overlooked a city. A city with unmistakable lights. With unmistakable people. The person sitting next to me, the one who pulled me here, looked familiar. 

"Why are you sad?" He asked me. 

"You know why," I said. 

"But you shouldn't be. Look at where you are now!" He stood up and showed me the city.-

"What if I lose it?" 

"Lose us?" The boy fell off. I reached for him, but something held me back. A hand I will never forget. It sent waves of fear throughout my body. I could only hope that whatever happened to me next wasn't too bad.

"Running away? You'll have to try harder than that. You know what you are. You're my property." They said in unison. It was my parents. Why did they follow me? 

"It will never happen again." But it was too late. The shackles were fastened around my wrists. They cut into my skin, blood rose to the surface. The chain was never-ending. There they were, sitting on the throne again. The ruled over me, what I did, what I'm doing, and what I will do. They've always said that without them, I'd be nothing. 

Nothing. 

"That's what you are. Nothing." The shackles were gone physically but remained in my head. The two of them were telling me the same thing they always had. That I didn't matter to anyone. That I was useless. That I'd never be anything without them and their chains.

"I want to be something," I said. That insurance earned me a slap. Two. Three. I deserved it. I owe my life to them. 

"Stop it, please." It got worse. Punches and kicks, a flurry of limbs that hurt me. They didn't stop. I pleaded and pleaded, and it only got worse. A hole was around me, dragging me down. Clawing for me, wanting me back. Wanting me to come back to the other side with them. I wondered if I could leave them. If I could have a little bit of freedom away from my parents. I needed to break free. I needed to escape. I needed to feel things for the first time. I was tired. I was done with my world being limited. 

"Where do you think you're going?" A wall stood in front of me. It mocked me. It beat me. It made me so much less than I am. I lost all control at that moment. I didn't know where I was but I knew that this made me mad. My rage boiled inside me. My hands plunged into his chest and I tore it apart. The resulting hole let me pass. I ran. I ran away.

I ran far away. But they still watched me. They still kept me chained down. I knew how far I could go but they are always there.

I was back. Back in their grasp again. This time, they wanted me to stay forever. The knife came close. It came closer. I saw my face in it, I saw my life. I saw my mistakes and me as a person. I saw him there. 

Red. It went red. The brutal color spilled everywhere. It painted everything. It was flooding the cursed room. I wanted them to drown with me. I wanted them to come with me to oblivion. I wanted them to choke. I wanted them to experience the darkness. The freezing cold. The deafening silence. I wanted them to feel near death. 

"No!" I shouted, waking up. I was in my bed. The last thing I remember was the lights from Ryota. Sleep is not my friend. I could see Republic City. It dazzled. Tears began pouring from my eyes. That was only a dream. Just an unconscious thought. Nothing more. I told myself this. 

"En? Hey, hey. Shhh. It's okay. You're safe." A pair of arms wrapped around me. They were warm and heavy. It was Bolin. He had carried me here, no bout about it. He cared for me like no other. 

"I'm so sorry." We were hugging. It felt amazing with him but my tears weren't stopping. They kept flowing, kept pouring out. This was bittersweet. I was finally happy, but at what cost?

"Don't apologize. You're perfect, En. It's just a bad dream." We were so close together. I should tell him now. But I can't. I can barely say anything right now. All I can think about is him. His embrace, his comforting words, his hands. The tears weren't stopping anytime soon.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bolin asked.

"It was a nightmare. My parents..." 

"It's better now." Bolin laid back and pulled me into his chest. "I'll keep you safe. You can sleep." He sounded tired. We both were.


	12. Chapter 12 - Foggy Day

Bolin's POV

About a week had passed since the Fire Assembly attacked us. About a week since I held En in my arms. I couldn't stop thinking about him. 

"Bolin!" Asami said to me. I was zoning out again. I had forgotten I was at my job at Sato Industries.

"Sorry! It won't happen again." I sheepishly smiled. 

"As I was saying, we need to handle these shipments going to Ba Sing Se. Prince Wu ordered a custom Satomobile from us." 

"Isn't he not Prince Wu anymore? Wouldn't he be king Wu?" I said, picking up the clipboard from her.

"I'll never call him King Wu. That just sounds weird." Asami began walking through the factory with me. She was nice enough to give me a job here after I left Kuvira. 

"Me neither. That kid will always be a Prince in our eyes." The two of us laughed. It was overcast outside, so gloom was everywhere. 

"Asami Sato?" Someone asked, coming into the factory. They were holding something that had the official seal of Republic City on it. 

"This doesn't look too good. What do you think it's about?" I followed Asami down the stairwell.

"How can I help you?" She told the person.

"This paper is for you." The person left. 

"What? Hey! What does this- Oh. They're gone." Asami seemed puzzled. "It says that we can't ship anything from here. At all." 

"Really? Let me see." The document checked out. It was all legit. Why did they have us freeze all our shipments?

"I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding. Let's go to President Raiko." She started for her Satomobile, but I stopped her.

"Maybe that's not the best idea. He did approve the order to not allow us to help with the spirits anymore. We haven't seen him since, though." I said. 

"Wait, do you think Ryota could have something to do with this?"

"I-I mean maybe?"

"Then let's go!" Asami ran to her Satomobile and I crawled in the passenger's side. "We'll demand Raiko's explanation. He has to answer to us. Right?" Asami seemed slightly worried about it. 

The two of us drove until we got to the city hall. 

"Well, here we are. The fog isn't helping." She was right. The fog only made the entire situation eerier and more ominous than it already was. I was getting chills. The big wooden doors loomed above the two of us. We were both hesitant to do anything, as nobody knew what could be on the other side. 

"It's now or never." We opened the doors, and there was Raiko. Just...sitting there. Normally. There was no Ryota or any Fire Assembly members.

"Oh, Asami. Can I help you?" He said. Everything about Raiko seemed the same. There was no underlying evil to him. It didn't seem like there was anything wrong with him.

"Yes, actually. Why do we have to freeze our shipments?" Asami asked the president. Something about his demeanor changed. His eyes suddenly looked like how En's were. Empty. It was like something that Asami had said triggered a change in him. He went from being his normal self to an empty shell. 

"I will not take any questions on that." His monotone voice rang throughout the empty building.

"Excuse me?" Asami's tone became angrier. 

"Asami, just drop it! I don't like where this is going!" I whispered into her ear.

She brushed it off. "What do you mean? I demand to know!" She shouted. This wasn't going to end well, I needed to do something to stop it, and quickly. 

"I will not take any questions on that." He repeated. He didn't have control of himself anymore.

"He's hypnotized! It's like what happened to En! Knock him out!" I said.

"What? I mean, sure, Raiko's hypnotized, but knocking him out seems a bit rough." 

"I think if you do that to someone while they're like that, it might break that cycle!" She had done it before, maybe, just maybe, it could work again. "I'll launch you! Get ready!" Asami crouched for the push, and as it came, she went flying over his head. In a similar manner as before, she clocked the back of it, which made Raiko go limp and fall on his desk. 

"Well, that explains what's been going on with them," Asami said. She found the papers that were being sent off near his desk. "Ryota is trying to stop all shipments. Look." She mentioned for me to come over there. All of the documents had his signature on it. Asami was right. All shipments going out had to be frozen. Ryota was planning something, no doubt about it. I just didn't know what he had in mind.

"Bolin, when En woke up from the hypnosis, was there anything he said about it?" Asami asked.

I was there when he did wake up. "He said that the last thing he remembered was Ryota's lights."

"When Ryota Firebent, he did create those weird lights. He also said something to En. That must be the trigger for it." 

"The what?" I had no idea what she was talking about.

"C'mon, I'll explain it on the way. When you 'hypnotize someone, their mind has to be open to suggestions and willing to be hypnotized. I think the colors definitely help with that. They were kind of relaxing." Asami was speeding toward the ferry. She jammed into the lot there. "We don't have time to waste!" 

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" We practically ran onto the ferry. "I hope En's okay." 

"You haven't told him yet, have you?" Asami said.

"No. I mean, what if he hates me after?" Every possible way this could go wrong came flooding to my head. What if he gets hurt? 

"Stop overthinking it!" Asami broke my train of thought. "After we deal with this Fire Assembly thing, then you can deal with En. But right now, it seems like everyone is in danger. We're here, so let's go tell Korra, En, and Tenzin." The two of us disembarked from the ferry, and Korra came running up to us with En not far behind. I waved to him. He waved back and smiled.

"Why are you two here?" Korra asked us. 

"We figured out what's going on with Raiko. He froze all of our shipments, so we went to investigate. Turns out, Ryota hypnotized him." Asami said. "There's supposed to be a rally tonight for Ryota and the Fire Assembly. We should try to intercept it."

"Really? Let's start planning!" Korra seemed excited.

"Hey, En. I'll make sure nothing happens to you." I walked next to him.

"Thanks, Bo. I really appreciate it." We both stood there, smiling at each other for a while.

"Hey! Bolin, En!" Korra shouted. 

"Looks like we better get a move on." He said.


	13. Chapter 13 - Flyday Downtown

En's POV

"That's the plan?" Bolin said.

"Yeah. We get in, see what they're doing, and get out. We can't stick around for long." Asami stated.

"If we look at the colors for longer than one rotation, you'll be under his control. If you're staring at it for longer, you have to shut your mind off. Close it down. Think of all that you'll lose. Hang onto it with every fiber of your being. You don't want to be under his control. It's a horrible experience." I said. We all understand what was to happen. We had to hear what their plans were and try to somehow outsmart them. As long as people knew that he could hypnotize and what to do if you were on the business end of Ryota's light show, they might be able to avoid it. We had to focus on this hope because Ryota could do major damage with his ability. 

"Let's get going." Korra got up and everyone followed suit. "He's Downtown, so we'll use a smaller boat. En, can you make a fog cover for us?" 

"Of course," I responded. 

"I almost forgot you could do that!" Bolin said. We both laughed.

Walking down to the docks, a calm set over me. It was a calm before the storm. I doubted we could get away with this without fighting. 

"Get in. Bolin and En, you're in the back." Asami said, starting up the boat. Bolin and I slid into the back of the boat. His eyes seemed to stare at me. Not in a creepy way, but more like an...adoring way. It's too bad he doesn't like me back. There wasn't time to think about that, however. The small boat began to head to it's destination. Water rushed by us. I prepared to whip up a cover. 

"En, hide us." Korra said.

As the boat slowed down, I stood up on the seat. Breathing in, the ocean air filled my lungs. Inhale. Exhale. As I exhaled, I bent the water into mist around us. Bending it still, I sent it toward the shore to give us more cover. We approached the warehouse that Ryota was using silently. 

The metal behemoth stood tall above the four of us. We could hear his voice from out here. He was spouting lies. Lies about spirits. About the Avatar. About how the two worlds must never connect to maintain the purity between us. I'll give it to him that he had an okay voice. It was perfect for talking to large crowds of people. 

"Over here," Asami whispered. We found our way through an alleyway, until we reached a side entrance. There was someone standing there. He was wearing a Fire Assembly outfit. 

"I'll get him." Bending water into a whip, I wrapped it around the man's leg and pulled him toward us.

"Don't say a word." Korra put a piece of cloth into his mouth and Asami knocked him out. The four of us snuck into the hallway. "It doesn't look like anyone's coming. We have a clear shot to the lookout point." We made our way to a loft that overlooked the main room. From here we were able to hide behind a metal pole and avoid seeing him or him seeing us. One look, and we could be risking everything.

"The Grand Deliverance of Flame, Ryota!" The crowd cheered as Ryota presumably entered. It all flashed back again. The nightmares. My parents. The ocean. Everything. Bolin must have seen me start to shake at Ryota's sickly sweet commanding voice. He placed a hand on top of mine.

"Hey. You're with me. You'll be okay." He whispered. 

"Thanks," I said. I should really tell him.

"In six weeks, we will strike! President Raiko has let us stop the Spirit Dancer and Avatar. In six weeks, we will take them down! We will attack the spirit portal, and use their own powers against them!" The crowd once again erupted into a cacophony of cheering and yelling. "In six weeks, we will liberate this world from theirs!" Louder cheers echoed across the walls. I was getting sick to my stomach. This couldn't end well. We had to do something.

"En, let's go," Bolin said. He was holding my hand. 

"We have to do something about this!" 

"You heard him. In six weeks, we can get him at the spirit portal." Korra backed Bolin up. 

"Fine." We made our out of the building, making sure to avoid the knocked out Fire Assembly member. Six weeks. Six weeks. 

I must have not spoken for a while because Bolin piped up. "En, we'll get through this, okay? It seems like a lot right now but he's just someone who is all bark and no bite. He can't even fight for himself. He had to use you, one of the most powerful people I know. En, I-" Before he could finish, he was interrupted.

"C'mon! We need to go! The fog is fading!" Korra said, getting in the boat.

"She's right. We need to get going." I stepped into the boat with Bolin following behind me. I really need to tell him my feelings for him. He'll hate me for it, but I need to tell him one of these days. We took the boat back to the island. It was pretty late so the four of us were tired. "Bo, do you want to stay here overnight?" I asked him.

"M-Me? Sure!" He was blushing. I guess that caught him off guard for some reason. 

We disembarked from the boat as the fog rolled in. It draped over the island and made everything more mysterious. At some point when walking back, Bolin and I accidentally began to hold hands again. Life is a mystery, and love, love like this, is no exception to it. As we walked back into my room, we both were silent. I don't know if he liked me because I didn't know what that could ever look like. I was getting ahead of myself with us. 

"I'll sleep on the chair." He said.

"The bed's big enough for two," I said, patting next to me. He quietly slid next to me, and we slept. Just the two of us. Peacefully. I'd never had anything like it.


	14. Chapter 14: In The Grass Where You Lay Left A Bed In Your Shape

Bolin's POV

The bed was empty.

He wasn't there when I woke up. I was going to tell him last night. Korra interrupted me but that's fine. I don't blame her. He's probably going to say no anyways. I got myself up out of bed. 

"En- Oh, Bolin? Did you sleep with him?" Tenzin popped his head in through the doorway. He was in a rush.

"What? N-No! We just slept in the same bed!" I must've been blushing because my face felt like when Mako's fire gets way too close.

"Ah. I get it. You like him but you can't tell him some reason. I've been there before. Anyways, nobody can find En. He ran off in a hurry after seeing today's mail. Must've been something time-sensitive. If you see him, tell us!" Tenzin walked away. Did En run off? Alone? I know he's strong and all but I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to him. 

I got up from the bed and threw on my shirt. Quickly making do with my hair, I styled it. I ran out of the small room, with only one person on my mind. I left without eating any breakfast. En meant the world to me. I know he'll never feel the same but I needed to find and tell him today. I had to end this cycle of dreaming over him.

"Whoa! Bolin, slow down!" Korra said as I almost ran into her. 

"Sorry! I'm looking for En!" I was a little out of breath.

"Oh, I saw him earlier this morning! He looked like he was going onto the ferry." Korra pointed toward the ferry. 

"Thanks!" I resumed running and made my way to the ferry. It wasn't sunny out and the air had a wet cold to it. Not the kind that just chills you, the kind that surrounds you with cold. It was getting colder in Republic City. 

"Someone's in a hurry," Asami said from behind me. 

"Have you seen En?" I asked, stopping to wait for the ferry.

"I'm doing well, thank you for asking. And no, I haven't seen him. Why do you ask?" Asami looked at me. 

"Nobody can find him, and today I was going to confess my feelings for him. I know it's dumb, but I need to do it. I'm also worried for him." I blushed, realizing that I had said I liked him out loud. I hadn't really ever said that before. 

"Wow, looks like someone is getting brave. Well, I wish you all the luck." Asami left me standing there. As the ferry approached, I began to overthink everything. What if he ran away because he doesn't like me? Did I say something in my sleep last night? Did his parents find him? Is he hurt? Why did he run away from us? I thought he was living a good life now. I didn't understand why this was happening, especially now when we didn't know what was going to happen in the span of the six weeks coming up to whatever the Fire Assembly is going to do.

"Pardon us, but have you seen a boy, about this height, Waterbender, black hair?" A woman said to me. She and another man got off of the ferry. 

"No. I haven't." I didn't know who they were talking about. I didn't care. I just wanted to find En and hug him. I got up from the wooden bench and hopped into the same old ferry. It felt different this time, everything did. I looked out to see the ocean, the same old ocean. I had never really paid attention to it before. It was kind of mesmerizing, the way that the water moved and danced along the edges of the metal hull. They danced like him. Every time I got to see him dance, it was beautiful. It meant so much more than just him being able to dance. It meant he was able to be himself. It meant En was able to be away from his parents. It meant he was independent and free. I admired his strength and power to get through situations like that. 

The ferry rolled to a stop in the port, and I practically ran off it. 

"Have you seen a guy, about three inches shorter than me, dark complexion, black hair?" I asked the counter.

"You're the second person to ask us that exact question. We think he went that way." The counterperson pointed west. 

"Thanks!" I broke out into a sprint I was determined to find him. 

After almost an entire day searching Downtown, Midtown, and Uptown, I still hadn't found him. I sat down at a bench, burying my head in my hands. It all felt so useless. He was just out of reach, a whisper for my hands. I couldn't find him anywhere. I looked almost everywhere. Except for one place. Outside of Han's Diner, where we hung out on our first night together. The first day I caught feelings for him. The day our lives were intertwined with each other. I practically jumped up from my bench in the middle of Midtown and started running yet again to the new destination. 

Left, Right, Right, Straight. The directions repeated through my head as I was on autopilot. My body was taking control of me, I didn't need to tell it where to go. I knew that he would be there. Not because he was waiting for me, right?

"En!!" I shouted upon reaching him. He looked like he had been crying. I ran up to him, and he reached out to hug me. We both stood there for a second, in each other's arms. We didn't say anything. It was just...us. "Hey."

"Hey." He smiled and laughed a little. "I know, I know. I should have said something to you. I'm sorry." He sat down on the bench, and I did too. "I'm really sorry. A letter came today. It was from my parents, and they said that they would be coming to the island to take me back. I didn't know how to act." He laid on my shoulder.

I laid on his head. Our hands touched. "Don't apologize, I understand why you would do that. It's fine. En, I-" Before I could finish, I was interrupted by two voices, both yelling En's name. It was the two people from the ferry. It made sense! They were looking for him too! Those are his parents!

"En, dear! Oh, we've missed you!" His mother said in a singsong voice. That was not how she normally acted. She was fronting, along with his father.

"He ran away for a reason! Leave En alone!" I stepped in front of him and his parents. I wasn't going to let them hurt him anymore. I loved En too much to let anything happen to him. 

"Back off. He's our son." His father said. 

I looked behind me. En was clinging to my arm. His face was filled with fear. As strong as he was, and as much as I looked up to him, he couldn't do this. En was scared. I had to do this for him. I knew what to say to the. "Not anymore! He ran away from you because you're both horrible people. You took his entire childhood away from him! En is an amazing person who had beautiful talents. You have no right to do any of this to him! He's not coming back with you anytime soon." I got into an Earthbending stance. 

"Well, you're just his mouthpiece-"

"Shut up. You can't say anything right now. For 24 years before I escaped you abused me. You forced me to dance. Not for me or the spirits, but for you and money. Bolin isn't my mouthpiece. He's my best friend and one of the only people who actually care about me. What you're going to do is leave me alone. You're never going to see me again. You will never come to Republic City again. Am I clear?" En had let go of my arm and walked in their faces. He was not backing down on them.

"Very well then. If that's they way you feel." The two of them left in a hurry. It was us alone again. Our hands intertwined. 

"It's getting late. Want to come to my apartment?" I said.

"Yeah." En was still a little shaken, and he was holding onto my arm. We walked the dark desolate streets together. I didn't get a chance to tell him that I'm in love with him. But that's okay for now. I was good with it just being us, together.


	15. Chapter 15: Your Affection Taking Pride From Fear

n's POV

My eyes shot open in the dark. I was in an unfamiliar place. I shifted my body to see, and realized there was a window. A window to the outside world. Everything seemed like a dream, but I knew it was real. There were only three sounds I could distinctly hear.

The first was Bolin's even breathing, accompanied by his calming warmth close to my back. It felt like his arm was right to my back. It felt nice to be near him. After my parents talked to me for the first time in a while today, I was so grateful to have him as my best friend. I can't believe I broke down. I was so close. I could have stood up to them at first. But I was too afraid. Everything froze when I saw them. I clung onto Bolin for my life. It left like I was trapped, like the chains from before had yanked on me again. I hated it. I hated them.

Second was the sound of rain. It was raining. The whole time I'd been here it hasn't rained. Now, it was pouring. The light outside the windows danced in our room. Water streaked across the windows like teardrops running down my face. Water was something that I knew and loved, and the rain wasn't an exception. It was something that I held close to my heart, as dancing in it during the night when parents couldn't ever see me was something that I could do, with only me. It was my thing, nobody else's, my small little rebellion. It was the only way I could really cope with the slightest with them. Being here, in this bed, next to the man that I'm in love with, who probably doesn't have feelings for me anyways, made me feel at home and calm. It's taken me forever to realize this but family doesn't have to mean related by blood. True family is something you choose because these people make you feel good about yourself. 

The last sound that I could hear was the noises of the city below us. His apartment felt familiar, it was like I'd seen it before. Which would be a possibility, considering I could have seen it in a dream. But everything about his apartment made me feel safe. The noise of down below was beautiful in a way. It represented every story that every person's ideas, everyone's hearts, and all of the individual people's lives. It was a refuge for me, most of all. I was able to be safe here. I was able to sleep without worry next to him like this. His body, this city, everything about was a change for me. It was finally a good change that let me be myself. 

Something was pulling me. Bolin's muscular arms began to wrap around me, and pull me close to him. His breathing hadn't changed in the span of time I was awake. He was still asleep. He felt me shifting. What does this mean? Does he like me? Will he ever like me? I don't know what this means, but it made me feel comfortable. I hate it when people touch me but this, this felt really good. It made my body feel warm and destroyed all my doubts. I felt safe again. He held me there, and his face has pressed into the nape of my neck. I wanted this. I really, really, really wanted this. I wanted him. I know it's so, so, so unhealthy to feel this for him even if he'd never feel the same. Laying here with him helped me doze off to sleep.

I awoke again in the morning, this time to a groggy Bolin. "Oh, Good morning En. Sleep well?" At some point, he let go of me during the night. It was still raining. 

"Y-Yeah. I did." I started to get up and smiled at him. My bare feet hit the cold floor, and it made me shiver a little. "Thank you. For everything." I said to him.

"Hey, it's no problem. I really enjoy spending time with you!" Bolin said, getting up as well. He smiled back at me, and for a moment, we stared at each other, waiting to make a move on each other. There was a sort of tension in the air, it was like there was a rope being pulled tight. We both wanted to get closer to each other, but we were both pulling back. 

"I should get going. There's...some stuff I need to do today." I started for the door and glanced back a little.

"Got it. I'll see you later, right?" Bolin said. 

"Of course. I'll see you soon." I opened his bedroom door and saw Mako briefly. 

"You were in there? Are you two-" 

"No! We're just friends." I frantically said to Mako.

"Okay." Mako went back to whatever he was doing. He must've figured out that I have feelings for Bolin. If he told Bolin, it'd end badly. 

"Wait, really quickly, you must know by now that I have feelings for your brother. Whatever you do please don't tell him." I said in a slightly lower voice than before to avoid being heard by the object of my fascination.

"En, come back!" Mako practically shouted to me as I ran out the door. I began to put on my coat and come down the staircase. The concrete chamber echoed my steps as I ran down them. The truth is, I didn't have something to do today. I didn't want to face Bolin, really. Even in the small situation that he could every like me back, I'm not okay. I'm damaged mentally. I can't truly trust people. I don't want to be a burden to him. I know that that is all I am. I'm just a useless ex-dancer that no longer can really help the avatar. I'm lucky that Korra and Tenzin even still want me here. I'm not really helpful to them, am I?


End file.
